1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus which records images by ejecting ink droplets.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an inkjet printer which forms images by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium from a line head, there may be mutual interference between the ink droplets that have been deposited on the recording medium. Therefore, the ink liquid moves and the landing positions of the ink droplets are shifted, or streak-type unevenness arises. This presents significant problems in terms of image quality. More specifically, when dots are deposited in a superimposed fashion, the entire liquid droplet is present on the surface of the recording medium immediately after a first dot has landed, and upon landing, the liquid droplet on the surface starts to permeate into the image receiving layer of the recording medium. Provided that a second dot is ejected so as to land after the first dot has permeated completely into the medium, then there will be no merging of mixing of the respective droplets of the first and second dots, on the surface of the recording medium. However, if the second dot is ejected so as to land before the first dot has permeated completely, then cases may occur where the respective droplets of the first and second dots merge and mix on the surface of the recording medium, and hence the shape of the droplets of the dots on the surface of the recording medium is disturbed. Therefore, the prescribed dot shape becomes distorted and this can give rise to image deterioration. The merging and mixing of the droplets of respective dots that have been ejected onto the surface of a recording medium in this way is hereinafter referred to as “landing interference”.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-177115 discloses that landing interference is prevented in the direction of conveyance of paper forming a recording medium, in other words, the sub-scanning direction, by bending the ink droplets ejected from a line head, in a direction that is perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, in other words, the main scanning direction. Although the technology in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-177115 may prevent landing interference in the sub-scanning direction, but it does not mention the prevention of landing interference in the main scanning direction.